


Two Phone Calls

by KeyserSozin



Series: The Cutting Room Floor [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: (but just barely), Big Sister Korra, Canon Compliant, F/F, Gen, Meelo the boy?, Or Meelo the MAN?, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 02:40:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11476899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeyserSozin/pseuds/KeyserSozin
Summary: Fresh off his successful mission to find the Avatar and bring her home, now Meelo faces his most daunting challenge yet:  making her a lunch date.  Set at the beginning of Book 4 Chapter 7.





	Two Phone Calls

"Ooooh, I see home! There it is! There it is!" Ikki bounced up and down in Pepper's saddle, pointing off in the distance.

Meelo looked up from his drawing. Sure enough, the top of the Air Temple was just barely visible, poking through the low-hanging afternoon clouds. With the end of their journey imminent, he rolled up his parchment and put his charcoal pencils back in his bundled pack.

 _I'll finish you later, my love,_ he assured silently, the image of Tuyen, the flower girl he'd met in the Earth Kingdom, fresh in his mind.

"Korra, aren't you excited?! Everyone's going to be so happy to see you!" Ikki was still bubbling with energy, and had turned her focus to the Avatar.

Korra yawned and stretched. "Sure I am, Ikki. And I'll be happy to see them too," she replied, but her voice was flat and her smile didn't reach her eyes.

That is, until they had nearly landed and the Avatar spotted a snow-white mountain of fur lounging squarely in the middle of the training pavilion. Korra launched herself from the saddle into a full-bodied hug with Naga. The polar bear dog whined and barked even as she frantically nuzzled Korra's side, unable to contain her excitement.

 _It must be nice to have a pet that misses her so much_ , Meelo thought. He looked around for Pokey, but the lemur was nowhere in sight, probably off having his own reunion. Instead he spotted his parents quickly approaching, and wasted no time presenting himself boastfully.

"Mom! Dad! We're back! And we got Korra!" he exclaimed.

His mother bent to scoop him up in a warm embrace.

"I'm so proud of you kids," his father said in his typical ceremonious fashion.

"Proud enough to give me my tats?" Meelo decided now was as good a time as any to push his luck.

"No," his father dismissed him quickly, before turning to Korra.

He caught Ikki sticking her tongue out at him out of the corner of his eye.

Meelo didn't hear much of the rest of the conversation, temporarily fuming over his father's curt refusal and his sister's teasing. More than anything, he wanted to get his tattoos before Ikki, to shut her up once and for all.

Before he knew it, the group around him rapidly began to disperse.  
  
"I need to go find Aunt Lin. She needs to know about what happened to my mom in Zaofu," Opal turned on her heel and started off toward the bison paddock.

"I should probably inform Raiko as well. Korra, we'll catch up later, but I do want you to tell me everything," Tenzin headed off in another direction.

"I will. Go ahead," Korra waved after him.

"Is Kai around?" Jinora asked, as innocently as she could muster.

"In the boys' dormitory, dear," Pema smirked at her daughter. Jinora backed away and left without another word, avoiding all eye contact but unable to conceal a slight blush.

"I'm going to go get started on dinner. Something tells me we'll be having a full house tonight," Pema beamed at Korra. "It's good to have you back, sweetie. Bumi, would you come lend me a hand with peeling some potatoes?"

"I peel potatoes with the best of them," he launched into a long monologue as he followed Pema off in the direction of the kitchens.

"I'll go get your room ready! I hope you don't mind but we packed most of your stuff up a while ago. We needed the space for all the new airbenders! I'll go find it," Ikki bounded off without giving Korra a chance to reply.

Suddenly Meelo found himself alone with the Avatar and her enormous beast, neither of whom were paying him an ounce of attention. He felt like there was something he ought to be doing, but had no earthly idea what it was.

"You stink," he observed matter-of-factly. "Like, really bad."

That got Korra's attention. She twisted her head around to study him, and for the first time he thought she looked kind of small. Meelo had always regarded Korra as his big sister, but standing there half-buried in Naga's fur, she didn't look so big anymore. She was still at least a head taller than he was, but she was thin and ragged, her clothes clinging to her from sweat and mud.

"Yeah, well, spending a week or so in the swamp and getting thrown around in the mud all day will do that," Korra remarked. "You're right, though. I really could use a hot bath."

"I can't help you with that, boys aren't supposed to go near the girls' bath house," Meelo shrugged. After a moment, he admitted, "everyone else has a job and I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

Korra's smile softened and she put her hands on her knees, bringing herself to eye level with him.

"Well I was just waiting for all of them to leave because I have a very important mission I can only entrust to you. Are you up for it?" Korra glanced around, her tone conspiratorial.

"You can count on me! So what is it?"

"A secret message. Two, actually -- I guess I should let Mako know about Bolin," the last part seemed to Meelo like Korra was just thinking out loud.

"I am a master of clandestine communications. What message would you have me deliver?" Meelo stood at attention, saluting.

"I want to meet with Asami, and Mako, too. Today, and soon if possible," Korra confided. "Not too soon though, I need to wash all this swamp off of me. Do you think you can arrange that?"

"I'm your man, Avatar," Meelo confirmed, and marched off toward the radio room where the telephone was kept.

\---

"Prince Wu's suite, royalty speaking. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" a squeaky male voice answered.

"I wanna talk to Mako," Meelo demanded.

"Mako is very busy at the moment with his extremely important personal guard duties. Can I take a message for him?" the voice crooned.

"No messages, this is top secret," Meelo barked, trying to sound as official as possible.

There was a jostling noise and some muffled voices, and then Mako's voice came across the line. "Hello, who is it?"

"Who I am is not important. I have a message from the Avatar. She'd like to meet with you."

"That's not a funny thing to joke about, Meelo."

"I'm not joking! Korra's back, I brought her home myself. She would like to see you this afternoon, and Asami too."

"Wow," Mako mumbled, and there was silence on the line for a moment. "Wait, why are you calling me and not Korra?"

"She's taking a bath. She stinks," Meelo replied. "Real bad."

"I guess I'll call Asami then and get something set up."

"Not if I call her first!" Meelo slammed down the receiver and picked it up again, dialing frantically.

\---

"Korra, are you in here?" Meelo hissed. He had tiptoed his way through the girls' dormitories to where her room had been three years ago. The door was open, and there was a stack of neatly folded blue garments on the end of the bed, but there was no sign of the Avatar. No sign of Ikki either, thankfully.

He made his way down the hall to where the dorms connected with the kitchen and peeked his head in.

"Mom, have you seen Korra?" he asked.

"She's not in here, dear," Pema called over her shoulder.

Meelo gulped. There was one more place to look, and it was a place he knew he was forbidden -- the women's bath house.

 _A true soldier never gives up on the mission,_ he thought, steeling himself.

He crept back down the hall and out the door to where the living quarters adjoined the bath house. He stood with his back to the wall and leaned his head toward the entrance.

"Psst," he whispered as loud as he could over his shoulder. "Korra, are you in there?"

He held his breath, his pulse pounding loudly in his own ears.

No reply came.

Exhaling, he shook his head. Surely this was going to land him in trouble with his father again, but a soldier doesn't question orders. He stepped around the corner and poked his head inside.

It took a few more careful footsteps to reach a point where he could see anything, and as he turned another corner, he froze on the spot.

There was Korra, naked as the day she was born, reclining in a tub. Her head was rolled off to one side and her eyes were closed. The basin concealed most of her delicate parts, but the swell of her breasts rose just above the water line. Even that bare hint was already far more of a woman than Meelo had ever seen up close.

"Ahh!" he let out a yelp before he could clamp his hand over his mouth.

Korra's eyes snapped open. "Wha-AHH!" She frantically covered herself as best she could with her arms. "Meelo, wait outside, please!" she hissed tersely.

His back was already turned and he was running for the exit by the time the words reached his ears. He flattened himself against the outside wall, panting and trying to will his pulse to slow as his ears rang and his temples drummed. His face felt like it was on fire.

After a few moments, once his breathing had slowed, he heard the wet slap of footsteps on stone. Korra did not appear, but her low whispered voice came around the corner.

"Sorry about that, I must have fallen asleep."

Not sure how to explain himself or wanting to acknowledge what he'd seen, Meelo said nothing.

"Hey, are you out there?" she rasped again.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Report, soldier."

Meelo snapped to attention, his back still glued to the wall.

"I completed the mission as assigned."

"You got a hold of Mako and Asami for me?"

"Yes ma'am! I think Mako's assistant answered, but Mako took the phone from him."

"And Asami? How was she? Did she sound... was she happy?" Korra's tone was somewhat apprehensive.

"It sounded like she was in a war zone."

" _What?!_ "

"There was a lot of loud crashing and banging, and I think I heard someone scream."

"What are you talking about? Tell me everything, and don't leave anything out."

"Okay well I called and she answered, 'Asami Sato's phone,' and I said, 'Hello Miss Sato, lovely weather we're having lately, isn't it?'--"

"No you didn't," Korra cut him off.

Meelo sighed.

"I said, 'Hello, beautiful woman!' and she said, 'Hiiiii Meelo,' and then she asked if I ripped my wing suit again."

"Wait, did Asami make those for you?" Korra interjected again.

"Yep, pretty cool, huh?"

"Ugh, she's so awesome. Go on."

"Well that's when it started to get craaaazy. I said, 'Korra's back,' and she said 'What did you just say?' and I said, 'Korra's back, and she wants to see you today.' That's when I heard this loud crash like the phone dropped or something, and I think I heard someone scream but it sounded far away. I could hear heavy footsteps and someone shouting, 'Cancel all my afternoon appointments, and I need a reservation ASAP!' When she came back on the line she sounded all out of breath."

Meelo wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a tiny squeal from the other side of the doorway.

"What else did she say?"

"She asked if you were okay."

"What did you tell her?"

Meelo flushed with embarrassment. He couldn't lie to a commanding officer.

"I said you stink. Real bad."

"You little-!" Korra cleared her throat rather than finish her sentence. "Thanks Meelo. So did she get in touch with Mako? Am I supposed to meet them somewhere?"

"She called right back and said you're supposed to meet her and Mako at Qwong's Cuisine at 12:30."

"What time is it now?"

"About 12:15."

"What?!"

The next words Meelo heard didn't bear repeating, and almost made him gasp. He cataloged them for later so he could use them when only Ikki or Jinora could hear.

"Good work, soldier," Korra whispered once she had recovered her composure. "Now clear out, I need to get back to my room and get dressed, on the double."

"Yes, ma'am!" he gave a salute, even though she couldn't see.

"Oh, and uh, whatever you saw, can you keep that to yourself?"

Meelo knew that he would.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where this story came from or what it says about my mental health, but it was too funny to me not to write.


End file.
